PAS showing it should lead PN, says analyst

“PAS is signalling their leadership ambitions within PN by asserting that there have been no official discussions naming Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin as the prime ministerial candidate for PN”

(FMT) – Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara believes PAS’s claim is justified due to its stronger parliamentary presence, compared to Bersatu.

A political analyst says PAS is trying to establish that it should lead Perikatan Nasional amid a perceived decline in Bersatu’s influence.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said PN’s loss at the recent Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election was proof that Bersatu was growing weaker “day by day”.

PN fielded Bersatu’s Khairul Azhari Saut as its candidate at the by-election for the state seat last Saturday. Khairul lost to Pakatan Harapan’s Pang Sock Tao by 3,869 votes.

“PAS is signalling their leadership ambitions within PN by asserting that there have been no official discussions naming Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin as the prime ministerial candidate for PN,” he told FMT.

Azmi said PAS has every right to helm the coalition given its greater parliamentary presence.

“Muhyiddin seems to have also lost his vision and mission. This kind of lacklustre (leadership), will bring PN down, and by extension PAS,” he said.

Last week, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man reportedly said PN had yet to settle on its prime ministerial candidate for the 16th general election (GE16).

Tuan Ibrahim also said the question as to whether Muhyiddin can remain PN’s candidate has not been discussed as yet. He said each component party in the coalition should nominate its candidate.

PN information chief Azmin Ali had previously claimed the coalition was only considering Muhyiddin as its candidate.

Meanwhile, Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said he did not note any tension between PAS and Bersatu. However, he said, both parties appear to be grappling with their own challenges presently.

“On both sides, there exists (problems),” he said, citing the investigation and prosecution by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission of various opposition personalities among the challenges faced.

The opposition’s elected representatives are also struggling due to a lack of funding for their constituencies, he added.

If these problems are not resolved, they could give rise to broader issues for PN in the future, he said.